What's Gender Got to Do with It? Women and Foreign Relations History

Abstract

One of the greatest challenges I have encountered in teaching the history of U.S. foreign relations is convincing students that the history of the United States in the world is not just a story of presidential leadership and diplomatic dispatches—that it is also a story of grass roots activists, immigrants, missionaries, consumers, and countless other ordinary people. Some of my students have resisted this interpretation because of their prior encounters with history. But many others have welcomed my efforts to open up foreign relations history, reporting that it helps them understand the globalizing world in which they live, the relevance of international relations to their lives, and their own potential as agents of change. My efforts to broaden disciplinary boundaries—to encourage students to think about who and what should be included in foreign relations histories—has another important benefit: it helps me incorporate women and gender into my lectures long...